FerroGate.

Let's meet! Here are my simple guidelines for getting me onstage at your event.

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:40:00 -0400

I’ve done a lot of keynoting the past years, not least the past few weeks (7 flights in 10 days).

Moving forward I’ll have to be a bit more selective. Since saying no is not really in my nature, here are a few simple guidelines for getting me involved as as a speaker.

Please check my conference schedule on Conferize.
I’d require organizers to use Conferize. There’s really no reason not to.
If your event aligns with our strategy, I may or not not ask for a honorarium but expenses should be covered.

To get in touch with me, please message me through my Conferize profile. Thanks!

My keynotes and talks for April: Mesh, Red Herring 100, Nordic IT Powerhouse, Iværk&Vækst

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:47:00 -0400

Busy times ahead as I’ve been invited to a bunch of great conferences and speaking gigs in April:

9-11 April: Red Herring Europe 100, Amsterdam. I’m presenting Conferize as one of the finalist, fingers crossed we’ll win. Red Herring is one of the most established brands in emerging technology and the list of finalists is daunting.
15 April: Nordic IT Powerhouse, Regional Growth Through Nordic/Baltic Collaboration, Stockholm. Am invited as a panelist to weigh in entrepreneurship and talent development in the Nordics. Follow the link to register (free). Background info here and here. As you may know this is a favorite topic of mine - The Nordics in the new millenium.
18 April: Iværk & Vækst, Aarhus, Denmark. Keynoting about my entrepreneurial background (Danish). Will be exciting to meet with successful entrepreneurs outside my normal circles - and to be welcomed by former news host Paula Larrain.
18-19 April: Mesh#4, Oslo. I’m exited to check out the startup scene in Norway, hosted by the Mesh people who also run a hot co-working space (invite only). Am hoping it’ll be somewhat like a Nordic version of F.ounders, which I’ve attended twice with great pleasure. I’ll be keynoting about the importance of innovation.

And finally a small rant: Sadly not all of these events are on Conferize yet and are not even using a dedicated (unique!) #hashtag.

Even the best tech conferences still struggle to set up the simplest strategy for social media and content marketing. Good news is that Conferize can help in doing that.

Speaking here and there in Copenhagen these days

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:34:00 -0500

I rarely get around to updating this blog, but in case I still have readers here, I’d like to point your attention to an excellent event next week in Copenhagen. I’ll be weighing in on the panel, details and link below.

This week was a busy one, speaking both at Social Media Week and CreativeCPH. Now back to work.

Equity used right

EL2 is proud to present key note speaker Dr. Saras Sarasvathy and a prominent panel of discussants consisting of Anders Hoffmann (Erhvervsstyrelsen), Peter Torstensen (Symbion), Ted Zoller (University of North Carolina) & Saras Sarasvathy (University of Virginia) and a Danish “Super” Entrepreneur.

Dr. Sarasvathy will share the results of over a decade of research into lessons learned by expert entrepreneurs - people who have more than 15 years of founding experience, including successes, failures and at least one public company. Dr. Sarasvathy will summarize the findings of her investigations and also present her new series of studies that examines equity relations between entrepreneurs and their early stakeholders.

Come work with me as we change the world

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:13:00 -0500

Phew, time flies when you’re busy changing the world. That wasn’t just a oneliner to get your attention.

This summer I parted from one of the world’s most successful startups, Issuu, after five exciting years. They just updated their About page if you want a fresh view.

Immediately following that I spent four months on paternity leave with my son. I’d say it qualifies for a life-changing experience. If you can’t manage a six months old, how can you run a company?

Oh, and while doing all that I introduced a new thing into the world, called Conferize. Read the latest update or check out our manifesto. This year we’re looking to take Conferize live after having successfully tested it in the wild at a series of high-level events around the globe.

Basically Conferize is enabling anyone to get smarter about their conference life. Usually a conference presents the best networking and knowledge opportunity in any industry and region of the world—yet it remains a vast untapped potential until we embrace true networking and contemporary knowledge sharing standards. As we get ever more networked and globalized, the value of clever face-to-face interaction only increases. Improve the quality of conferences, both offline and online, and I’d say you’ve changed the world.

After all, the economic output of professional meetings is bigger than that of auto manufacturing. It’s a trillion dollar knowledge economy and from what I’ve heard, that’s where we’re all headed as everything becomes ever more ephemeral and intangible.

So, about that Conferize thing

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:41:36 -0400

So many have been asking about Conferize, my new startup (see my last post). I’m currently in San Francisco talking about it and meeting with some people. I can’t yet share the intricate details, but you should head on over to our blog to learn about what kinds of problems we’re looking to solve. I promise to share more as soon as I can.

The Conferize Manifesto.

Au Revoir @Issuu, Hello @Conferize Today is my last day at the...

Fri, 27 May 2011 03:47:00 -0400

Au Revoir @Issuu, Hello @Conferize

Today is my last day at the Issuu office. It’s very strange for me to say that. After five mind-blowing years, I’m yet again looking towards new horizons. I’ll continue as a shareholder but no longer mess around in the engine room or speak on Issuu’s behalf.

I’m extremely proud of what Issuu has become. Yet I am a person who like to start things. To get my hands dirty, learn new skills and wear many hats. I knew a day would come where this Issuu thing would grow too big for me. And the past weeks working out of our completely refurbished 1,000 m² office made it pretty clear to me: It’s awesome. And big!

Issuu is close to 50 M users & 4 B page views. A month! Time.com thinks were one of the 50 best websites in the world and we’ve twice been a SXSW finalist. But the best part for me was seeing the true impact we’ve had on real people. People who trusted us with their precious content and helped us redefine what reading online could be. Reading rocks and it’s changing.

I know that my awesome co-founders and team will keep cultivating Issuu into everything it can be, and more. If you’d like to work with this killer team, you should totally join us.

It’ll take me a while to stop saying ‘us’, ‘we’, and ‘our’ in relation to Issuu. But soon I’ll have to because I’m founding a new startup called Conferize. We’ll be looking for smart capital and exceptional developers (RoR, JavaScript/HTML/CSS)).

Departing for the Valley next week. Stay tuned.

Photo credits: www.newmediadays.dk & www.liliendahlphoto.dk.

Reading Beyond Words, My Contibution for 'I Read Where I Am'

Mon, 23 May 2011 04:09:27 -0400

I was invited to write a short essay for a book called ‘I Read Where I Am’, ed. by Geert Lovink, Mieke Gerritzen and Minke Kampman after a concept from Graphic Design Museum/Institute of Network Cultures. It was launched in relation to The Unbound Book conference held last week and looks to chart the status and future of reading. I just learned the entire book is available at www.ireadwhereiam.com, an interestingly minimalist microsite well suited for books.

Have a look at the impressive list of contributors:

Arie Altena, Henk Blanken, Erwin Blom, James Bridle, Max Bruinsma, Anne Burdick, Vito Campanelli, Catalogtree, Florian Cramer, Sean Dockray, Paulien Dresscher, Dunne & Raby, Sven Ehmann, Martin Ferro-Thomsen, Jeff Gomez, Denise Gonzales Crisp, Alexander Griekspoor, Hendrik-Jan Grievink, Ger Groot, Gary Hall, John Haltiwanger, N. Katherine Hayles, Toon Horsten, Minke Kampman, Lynn Kaplanian-Buller, Kevin Kelly, Joost Kircz, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Tanja Koning, Steffen Konrath, Erin La Cour, Rudi Laermans, Warren Lee, Jannah Loontjens, Alessandro Ludovico, Peter Lunenfeld, Ellen Lupton, Anne Mangen, Lev Manovich, Luna Maurer, Geert Mul, Arjen Mulder, Caroline Nevejan, David B. Nieborg, Kali Nikitas, Henk Oosterling, David Ottina, Peter Pontiac, Ine Poppe, Emilie Randoe, Bernhard Rieder, Paul Rutten, Johan Sanctorum, Louise Sandhau, Niels Schrader, Ray Siemens, Karin Spaink, Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Stadler, F. Starik, Bob Stein, Michael Stephens & Jan Klerk, Carolyn Strauss, Dick Tuinder, Lian van de Wiel, Bregtje van der Haak, Els van der Plas, Rick van der Ploeg, Daniel van der Velden, Adriaan van der Weel, Erwin van der Zande, René van Engelenburg, Francisco van Jole, Peter van Lindonk, Koert van Mensvoort, Tjebbe van Tijen, Dirk van Weelden, Jack van Wijk, Astrid Vorstermans, McKenzie Wark, and Simon Worthington.

Anyone even remotely interested in how reading is transforming should take a look at both the conference and the book. You can find my short contribution below:

Reading Beyond Words

My literature professor understood reading as a relative concept: One might grasp the words without yet comprehending the meaning. Ideally the reader would discard her library every five years, because by then she had elevated her perspective…

That’s an elitist notion of reading in stark contrast to the reality of today. Text as a medium is being challenged by ever more engaging forms of communication. And it seems the conditions for deep reading are pretty much being killed by mankind’s ongoing experiment to digitize society. Irony, anyone?

Me, I’ve parted with most of my print library. For good. Ninety percent of my reading now takes place on-screen, although I’m uneasy about digital books living inside those intangible walled gardens. Can I pass them on to my kids, like my mother did with Camus to me? Will they keep my side notes? Will they smell?

Let’s not get overly nostalgic just yet. Text remains a universal vehicle for human thought and often it’s the shortest distance from one mind to another. But as we stumble into digital renaissance, our understanding of both text and reading will have to encompass more than mere words: hyper-connectedness, vibrant plasticity, social interaction, and dynamic contextuality.

I'm Speaking at Oresund Mobile Meetup & Community Day #OMM2011 #CD11

Tue, 17 May 2011 02:54:26 -0400

Just a quick note to anyone attending Oresund Mobile Meetup or Community Day. I’ll be speaking about Issuu at both and am thinking about what to say. Let me know if you have any topics you’d like covered, or if you want to meet up.

Hope to see you.

A Couple of Interviews for Arctic Startup & In Treehouses

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:22:00 -0500

I’ve been asked to do a couple of interviews, and if you’re into deep reading of prolific and scrutinizing scribbles, you’re in for a treat. Enjoy.

‘The Big Issuu’ for In Treehouses, the We Are All Publishers Now edition

I also did a piece about Issuu and digital publishing for a new hip digital publication called In Treehouses. Don’t you just love that name? It’s the brainchild of a great guy called Thom Chambers. I really dug in deep and tried to convey where I see the world of publishing going.
We’re All Publishers Now (PDF download only, p 15-18) - it has loads of other interesting articles too.

‘My Story’ for Arctic Startup
Antti of Arctic Startup asked me to do the first of a new series they call My Story. It’s about entrepreneurs and their backgrounds, experiences and advice. I love this blog and gave it a shot.
Read My Story.

See My Panel from New Media Days 2010 About Mobile Apps (Danish Only)

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:30:00 -0500

via nmd.arkena.tv

Update: Seems Posterous crops the video, so check it out here instead http://nmd.arkena.tv/012894769531322/apps-strategier-i-en-guldfebertid

In case you missed it, here’s a nice video of my panel about mobile apps at New Media Days 2010. It’s in Danish.

I thought it went really well and that we covered a lot of important ground in terms of strategy, technology, payment, marketing and more in relation to mobile apps for media companies.

The Display Advertising Technology Landscape of Today...

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:47:00 -0500

The Display Advertising Technology Landscape of Today (It’s Rugged!)

via flickr.com

I was hoping someone would catch a photo of this slide. It’s from Joseph Turow’s presentation at New Media Days and shows (just some?) of the display advertising services available today.

It’s insane, right? As more and more advertising budgets are poured into digital advertising this space can only get more crowded than it already is. Good luck creating a map like this only a few years from now. One slide won’t cut it, you’ll need an entire deck!

Photo by New Media Days / Peter Erichsen. More about the presentation http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=166745890003939

My Band Epic Typo Is Playing Live 3x (Vega, Gimle, Danish Synth...

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 08:51:53 -0500

My Band Epic Typo Is Playing Live 3x (Vega, Gimle, Danish Synth Festival)

Maybe you didn’t know I had a band. I do. In case you want to hear Epic Typo play live in Copenhagen and Roskilde here’s the lowdown:

November

19: Opening for Kellermensch, Lille Vega (Copenhagen V)

20: Danish Synth Festival, Lygten Station (Copenhagen NV)

December

3: Opening for Kellermensch, Gimle (Roskilde)

You can listen and learn at www.epictypo.com.

I'm Speaking at New Media Days About Mobile Apps + Thoughts About Apps

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:28:38 -0500

Tomorrow the influential New Media Days conference is taking off in Copenhagen, and I’ve been invited to sit in on a panel about mobile apps. It’s looking to be one of the most popular slots of the conference, and why wouldn’t it? Mobile apps is a hot topic in the media world right now. Many media organizations are looking to cover lost revenue by releasing apps for the popular platforms, but there are many strategies, technologies etc. to consider.

Obviously I’ll be sharing some insight from our work with Issuu Mobile. For a while I’ve been following what is happening in the mobile space as Apple gets even more protective, Android rages onwards, the new Windows Mobile is released, and open HTML app stores starts to emerge.

But why apps? What’s so special about them?

First, there’s of course the ecosystem of the app stores, being on the featured and popular lists, being available and discoverable. It can make or break a business to be included in the app store. Second, a native app still outperforms browser-based apps and are not necessarily as dependent on connectivity.

But after giving this some thought, I believe there’s a much deeper cultural reason behind the rise and rise of mobile apps. I was reading about the initiator of the Macintosh program at Apple, Jef Raskin, a true renaissance man who believed household computing ultimately should be about information appliance:

What is desired is for the computer to become an appliance, but not a mere appliance. Its presence must be taken for granted by its user, but in the long run, the act of programming itself must be taken for granted as well.

In the short run it will be, if successful, an information appliance.

- Jef Raskin, Computers by The Millions, 1979

In other words, the computer was envisioned as a tool. Part of what sets man apart from beasts is our unmatched ability to produce and operate elaborate tools. And I believe that we’re most comfortable with tools that have just one or a few functions, e.g. there’s a unity between the artefact and the function (“the hammer is used for nails”).

The early computers were in essence raw computing power and unknown potential. It alienated the majority of people. But interfaces were tried and developed, usability was improved, and a few decades later most households actually had a computer although there was still a steep learning curve for many.

But when the iPhone was introduced, it was in a sense a leap towards making the computer look and perform like a genuine tool: The computer was now handy and pocket-size, just like a tool should be. You would use your hands to operate it, not a stylus; which would be like using a tool to operate a tool. Think about how prominent Apple today has made the touchpad on their computers. The hands are obviously the best way to operate a computer, because in a sense you are ‘touching the software’ and it’s a comforting way of interacting with technology.

And, finally, the iPhone had apps as the main method of ‘programming’. It’s information appliance in its purest form: Once you launch an app it takes over the information layer and the interaction interface entirely. Once again there’s a closer unity between the artefact and the function as most apps are designed with a single purpose in mind. The smartphone is a multipurpose device, yes, but in reality it’s a device built for rapid execution of a series of single purpose applications. And I think that’s why it’s so hugely successful, because we as people seem to relate to that profoundly.

The one element that remains is the tactile feedback and response to touch, that we’ve come to expect from most other tools. Example: You know that once you pick up your hammer, it feels and acts like a hammer. You could almost say that the hammer ‘touches you back’ when resting in your hand. I think that’s why touch keys will always give you that weird, alienated sensation, mainly because it didn’t feel like pressing a key. Yes, the screen told me the key was pressed, and maybe the vibrator even confirmed it, but surely it didn’t feel like pressing a key.

Here's My Presentation for Democamp.org (#democamp)

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:22:00 -0400

via issuu.com

Sorry, here’s the updated edition. Great conference so far!

Download from here http://issuu.com/ferrogate/docs/democamp

I’m Speaking at Democamp.org 22-23 Oct. (@democamp) + A...

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:02:29 -0400

I’m Speaking at Democamp.org 22-23 Oct. (@democamp) + A Few Thoughts on European Startups

I’ve been invited to speak at Democamp 22-23 October in Poznan, Poland. It’s looking to be a very exciting couple of days with lots of entrepreneurs, talks and a startup competition. YouTube star Vika will be entertaining, which should be something of an experience. I always love the energy and vibe of those kinds of events, so it wasn’t hard for me to say yes.

I’ll be talking about Issuu, obviously, focusing on the early days and considerations we had. I’ll be sharing some candid details and how we learned from our mistakes and successes. The title for my talk is “Issuu Behind the Scenes: Making Digital Publishing Beautiful by the Billions”. Guilty as charged, I always try to sneak the occasional ‘billion’ in there. If you have any questions of stuff you’ld like to know, just ask. The European Startup Climate
When I asked why they thought of Issuu, the organizers told me the list of successful European startups isn’t very long. I partly agree and it saddens me. Why shouldn’t the EU have the coolest, most interesting and most profitable startups in the world? A while ago Mike Butcher of TechCrunch EU asked for contributions about EU startups and a short look at the comments illustrates just some of the challenges we face. In our seasoned countries we have a lot of baggage, language barriers, borders, regulations, law and habits that we need to overcome to create a truly international environment where performance, innovation and revenue are comparable to what we see coming out of the US and Asia. I know there are tons of startups happening all over the EU, but it seems many of them are national in their perspective and they often fail to scale internationally, make the so-called flip and enter the global (read: US-centric) discourse.

Yet, six years ago I traveled the coming new member countries of the EU (Danish article here). There seems to be an almost untapped depth of unique culture and history, that—if utilized properly—might be able to give us an powerful edge in any competitive environment. And why wouldn’t we use this to our advantage, if at all possible? In Kraków I saw the impressive Veit Stoss altar, carved from wood and assembled without use of nails. It still stands over 500 years later. Even though our entrepreneurial endeavors today may seem more immaterial, ephemeral even, I’m still wondering which European artifacts and products we’ll be looking back on with pride in 500 years from now?

I’m speaking at Mobil Apps 2010, Copenhagen 6 Oct. (Danish...

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:27:00 -0400

I’m speaking at Mobil Apps 2010, Copenhagen 6 Oct. (Danish only)

via mobil.nu

I’m speaking about Android and Issuu at Mobil Apps 2010. Looks like all the seats are taken already but there’s a waiting list.

If you’d like me to talk about something specific, please let me know.

Read My Proposal for O'Reilly TOC for Publishing 2011: Magazines in the Mobile Era

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:07:05 -0400

I’ve just spent a couple of days drafting a proposal for O’Reilly’s TOC for Publishing 2011. As you probably know it’s THE conference for anyone interested in where publishing is going in the digital age. I’m posting the proposal below for anyone interested. If you would like to invite me for your conference or event, to speak about this or a related topic, feel free to contact me.

Magazines in the Mobile Era: Creating The World’s Largest Open Magazine Platform Teaser:
The magazine is culturally significant but often overlooked in attempts to digitalize publishing, especially concerning mobile usage. Why is that? In this presentation we will take an aesthetic and technological approach to answering this question. We will learn from the indie publishing community, and share key insights from building the worlds largest open magazine platform, Issuu.

Abstract:
It seems that most successful attempts to digitalize publishing is focused on books and text: Amazon and the Kindle, Apple and the iBook, Google Book Search, ePub, XML and beyond. And it’s easy to see why: Text is not that different from programming code, easy to transfer to any device, and easy to present to readers regardless of screen type and interface. But what about the magazine? For decades it’s been one of the most diversified publishing entities, constantly renewing itself and finding readers where they are. Culturally and historically the magazine has been the favorite pastime and knowledge source for anyone with an interest in specific topics, flawlessly delivered to both the beach and the bedroom.

Magazines obviously facilitate a more ephemeral reading experience compared to fiction and textbooks. But it’s also a highly specialized format where visual design and written content form something unique in publishing. Nonetheless, the past decade we’ve seen alarming reports tell us that the magazine industry increasingly is struggling under a new agenda. A paradigmatic shift where innovation no longer comes from it’s own backyard. In this presentation we will talk about what makes the magazine so special from an aesthetic perspective as well as in terms of technology. Why exactly is it so difficult to recreate the magazine experience on small mobile screens? Is it all just about size? Or is it really possible that the magazine is being replaced by modern HTML, mobile apps, and the more magazine-esque web experience provided by the likes of FlipBoard?

We will look at recent innovations in the digital magazine mobile space, and I will share key insights from my work with Issuu. Issuu strongly believes in the uniqueness of the magazine and is today one of the most successful attempts to create an open platform for magazines and other rich publications on web and mobile. Issuu serves up 2 billion impressions every month and over 27 million people engage with our user-submitted content on a monthly basis. We will also learn from the thriving indie publishing community that for long has favored digital over print.

About the Speaker
Martin Ferro-Thomsen is the Co-Founder of Issuu, a leading digital publishing platform for magazines and other ‘rich’ publications, today serving 2 billion montly impressions and over 27 million monthly readers. He has been invited to speak at several international events and conferences, including TechCrunch Nordic and Nordic Venture Summit. He holds an M.A. in Culture and Communications, is widely published in both academic and journalistic circles, and is quoted by a variety of international media, including Monocle and TechCrunch. He has edited, written and published in many formats, from academic journals to glossy tech mags, and is an avid blogger.

Ever read the True Blood comic? No, me neither

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:29:29 -0400

via issuu.com

In these times of Marvel movie madness, where one forgotten comic hero after another comes alive on the big screen and in computer games, it can be hard keeping track of the origin.

Much to my own surprise I’ve become rather the fan of HBO’s True Blood and I’m not going to get intellectual about it. Just thought I’d share the comic version I stumbled on today. It’s interesting to see the characters recreated in print.

According to Wikipedia, True Blood is based on a series of novels, so I guess it’s no wonder the comic versions look pretty much like the actors in the TV series. The comic verison came after.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Blood

You’re Already Stigmatized If You Don’t Play The...

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:13:00 -0400

You’re Already Stigmatized If You Don’t Play The Social Game

In case you didn’t notice, the quest to own online identity and personal content has pretty much ended, now ruled by just a few big multinationals.

This morning I came across the billboard above. Notice the huge green button, leading directly to Facebook. I think it’s probably an effective (and cheap) campaign, and surely it’s very convenient for the marketing people who set it up (“Yes! No need to involve IT, Facebook is just plug-n-play.”).

And through Facebook it’s easy to engage consumers, even though a FB Page is far from ideal (!) for selling a product at all. But Facebook has now become the de facto standard for companies looking to get social with their customers. It’s not that I’m really frightened about this trend. I’m just sad to see open alternatives performing so poorly. Consider this: In most countries you are required to have a bank account to get a job. How else would you get paid? Modern companies prefer not to deal in cash. Yet no one seems concerned that banks are commercial entities that don’t care about being evil or not and are only motivated by profit.

Could you imagine a future where a Google or Facebook account is required to get a job? In some ways you’re already socially stigmatized if you don’t sign up. That’s rule number one in The Social Game: You must play to be a part of it.

Steve Rubel Thinks Mobile Adoption Will End the Web as We Know It

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:41:00 -0400

“According to Morgan Stanley, within five years global internet consumption on mobile devices will surpass the same activity on PCs. This sounds like good news. It’s natural to think that browsers on the third screen (phones) and the fourth screen (tablets) will simply replace time spent in front of the same on a PC. That’s not the case. Mobile devices, by their nature, force users to become more mission-oriented. As more internet consumption shifts to gadgets, it’s increasingly becoming an app world and we just live in it. Innovation, fun, simplicity and single-purpose utility will rule while grandiose design and complexity will fall by the wayside.”

via steverubel.com

Stevel Rubel makes a few good points about how mobile adoption will change content and consumption on the third (mobile) and fourth (tablet) screens.